(cognitive-affective cerebellum syndrome)

Described in 1998 by Dr. Schmahmann following the observation of behavioral disorders in brain-injured patients. There are  cerebello-cortical connections indirectly linking the post-lateral and vermian regions of the cerebellum with non-motor brain areas and the limbic system, both of which are highly involved in:

-        spatial cognition: lack of spatial memory

-        speech: dysprosody, agrammatism

-        executive functions: anticipation, abstract reasoning, verbal memory, inattention

-        emotional affect: disinhibition, inappropriate behavior

The importance of the signs varies greatly from patient to patient and their severity tends to decrease over time.

Some psychiatric disorders may be related to cerebellar problems: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, fragile X, hyperactivity and attention disorders.

Anesthetic implications:

depending on the signs and other secondary cerebral and cerebellar lesions.

References: 

-        Levisohn L, Cronin-Golomb A, Schmahmann JD.
Neuropsychological consequences of cerebellar tumour resection in children. Cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome in a paediatric population.
Brain 2000; 123:1041-50.

Updated: April 2021